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Potter County, Texas
Potter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It forms part of the Amarillo metropolitan area. In 2010, the population was 121,073. Its seat is Amarillo . Potter County is named for Robert Potter, a politician, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Secretary of the Texas Navy. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 922 square miles (2,388 km²), of which 909 square miles (2,355 km²) is land and 13 square miles (33 km²) (1.38%) is water. Major highways * Interstate 27 * Interstate 40 * U.S. Highway 60 * U.S. Highway 87 * U.S. Highway 287 * State Highway 136 *Loop 335 Adjacent counties *Moore County (north) *Carson County (east) *Randall County (south) *Oldham County (west) National protected areas * Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument * Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (part) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 113,546 people, 40,760 households, and 27,472 families residing in the county. The population density was 125 people per square mile (48/km²). There were 44,598 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.60% White, 9.96% Black or African American, 0.87% Native American, 2.49% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.44% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. 28.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 40,760 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% were married couples living together, 15.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.21. In the county, the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 30.10% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,492, and the median income for a family was $35,321. Males had a median income of $26,123 versus $20,275 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,947. About 15.20% of families and 19.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.30% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over. Politics Potter County strongly supports Republican candidates, especially at the federal level. It has supported Republican presidential candidates in every election since 1968, usually by lopsided margins. In 2004, George W. Bush received 21,401 votes (74% of the total) in the county to just 7,489 votes (25%) for his opponent, John Kerry. In 2008, John McCain fared nearly as well, garnering 20,741 votes (69% of the total) to 8,932 votes (30%) for Barack Obama. Cities and towns *Amarillo *Bishop Hills *Bushland (unincorporated) See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Potter County, Texas References External links *Potter County government’s website * * Historic Wheeler County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History. * Potter County, TX Genealogy Category:Counties of Texas Category:Potter County, Texas Category:Established in 1887